Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1887-01-09
HOTEL AUTOGRAPHS.
HOW CLERKS READ THE CHARACTER OF
THEIR GUESTS.
Personal Traits Of Individuals Indicated BY Their
Manner of RsgiStsriDg-A Pracrical Test Of
the Question In a New York Hotel.
Ner York CommsrciaI. Adrsniser.

indicated by his ~penmanship? Why OF
course | do" somewhat suspiciOusl.y re-
marked the hotel clerk as he transfxed Q
half frozen fly upon the point OF the pen
which he had been twirling between his
fingers. 'You stand behind this counter
twelve hours 4 day and see people slap
their names down in that book as do, and
then let some one ask you that question.
! Why, man alive, l believe | can tell what
kind of 4 person a guest is as soon as he
takes the pen in his hand and without his
writing n word. Why'-but here the
torrent of e~loauence was cut short by the
arrival of a fuzzy, red-taced and bald
headed little man who, preceded by a por-
ter bearing q small mountain of luggage
and accompanied by q tall, thin, sour
| featured woman, hustled up to the counter
with an amusingly belligerent air. Grab
bing, with his short, stumpy fingers, the
penholdcr, from the point Of which the
clerk skilfully removed the inOtfenSiye fly
the newcomer balanced it Teliectively for
4 moment and then scratched in q nervous
rasping sort of way, his name upon the
register, adding, with a furtive glare 1T
the sour-loOking female, and wife, and
then reSignedly appended the nance OF the
place from which he hailed.
"a GOOD room, please; low down, with
bath and southern exposure" he grunted
out. while the clerk, without moving a
muscle, assented "all right, Mr.. Smlthson'
and calling front" remarked: "ShOw the
lady and gentleman to No. 600
well" said he as soon rs the two had
di"sappeared within the elevator, isn't
that the mans proper signature and he
whirled the register around for the report
er's inspection. The clerk was right, for
in every line of the scratChy, Sputterlng
writing was shown the writer's individu-
ality; n look Mt the signature could see
the man himself, as he stood a moment
previously, fussy and impatient before the
counter.
"But are the hotel register autographs
rs distinctive in character ~ that" asked
the writer of the clerk, who, having rackcd
"Mr. SmithSOn and wife, turned mol
chalantly toward the front again.
Nearly all, absently replied that func-
t~ionary, as he carefully flecked an atom
of dust from the northeast-by-north facet
of eight and one-half-caret stone in his
Chinese laundried shirt front. But you
see that man near the door," he suddenly
asked, with an appearance Of some. anima-
ton, 1.-THE man with a bag in his hand,
who has just stopped to speak to an &C
quaintance?'
The writer looked in the direction indi'
Gated and preceived n stout, well fed and
prosperous looking individual of about 81
wears of age, who had the appearance OF 6
country bank president. He carried {
small valise, aud was talking with {
Younger man who was recognized rs being
connected with q Wall street business EN-
terpriSe.
81 nevers saw that man before, " remarked
the clerk, but he's going to stop with us,l
think, and I'd he willing to wager a good
deal that | can now pretty well describe
how he will enter his name IN the register
He will take lots OF time to write it. and
when he has finished it will be rs plain aS
print, the characters will he small ant
round, and there won't be n flourish OF any
kind about it. Here he comes now; see /
I'm not right"
The gentleman referred to walked sc,
dately through the long hall of the hote
Office, declining oil the way the protlered
assistance Of a porter in carrying his lug
gage, and pleasantly saluting the clerk, de
posted his valiSe on the counter. Then,
having ascertained that he could get I
good room at the hotel, he gravely accept
ed the pen which the clerk rendered him
and slowly traced his signature. The oper'
alton completed, he stepped back a mo-
mept to observe the effect, and evidently
satisfied with the inspection, turned will
n smile to the clerk and said, Now / will
90 to my room, sir"
Front; show the gentleman to No. r.
The signature was almost exactly rs the
clerk had described it, and in that round,
s~choolbOy-like hand, which The who runs
may read" 1t was plain, honest and un-
p~retentiOuS, like the man himself,
Humming an air from the latest opera,
the clerk busted himself for a few moments
inserting the name of this new arrival in
! the o rack. and debonnair and uncon'
cerned as ever, he then resumed the inter
ruptnd conversation.
Il was pretty near right, wasn't l?' he
said rs he helped himself to II tOothpick.
II generally am in such matters"
The street doors here opened in some
what noisy fashion, and two men with
hand baggage entered arm in arm, and evil
IDENTIFY on the best or terms with each
other. They talked all the way up the
corridor, and were apparently old patrons
of the house. The attendants all knew
them. and the a~lacrity with which the bel
bows and porters rushed to relieve them
of their traps showed an appreciation OF
past favors bestowed and anticipation oil
Others to come. "Ah, George, are you
there?" and well, old boy, how are you?'
were the free aud easy SalutationS addressed
by the new corners 10 the impertubable
clerk, who did, however, unbend for q
moment under the geniality OF the greet
ings. ,.
II say, George, we want good rooms this
time-but hold up, Charlie, We will so to
gether if you say so and George Will give
us a bang up room. What do you say!
All right? AN right that suits me-
and the speakers hand dashed n bold sig
nature upon the page before him, to be
followed q moment later by the equally
bold sign manuel of his companion.
''John A. Darlington, Chicago" anC
CHARLES B. Smiley, St Louis" were tht
names, and it needed no close inspection
of the clear-cut signatures to convince the
observer that they were properly those o
two of that enterprising class OF CONNER
cial men commonly yclept dummies
''They are good fellows" said the clerk
a~postrophizing the two young men, who's
voices could be heard chatting the "eleva
tor boy" halfway up the elevator shaft
''And 1 suppose 1 am in for it tonight
he sadly added, as he volunteered the state
ment that a racket" in which he woulC
be, of course, expected to participate, al
ways signalized their arrival in town to
gether.
The drummers were simply ayant cour
= - =. - xhog&k,1-~h &,,,.a 60,